The Dragons of Raveana

The Difficulty with Dragons

Draco shook his napkin out and laid it across his lap, smoothing the white cloth with an absentminded stroke. He slumped down comfortably in the hard wooden chair, draping an arm across the table as he watched a house elf dutifully fill the wine glasses placed above each plate. Lifting a hand lazily, he ran his fingers through his hair, combing the damp locks back from his face. He straightened as the door at the end of the room swung open, revealing his mother in all her beauty. The witch's pale eyes brightened and she swept toward him with a little clap of her hands, dropping the empty wine glass she held. Wincing as the glass struck the floor and shattered, the blond sighed and shook his head lightly.

"Draco, darling, how has school been?" Narcissa cooed, pausing behind her son's chair to drop a light kiss atop his damp hair. Patting him lightly on the shoulder, she glided down the length of the table to take her seat, the expensive blue robes she wore hissing along the floor behind her.

Rolling his eyes, Draco straightened the first of four forks and leaned back in his chair. "Quite boring, mother. However, I did manage to summon a species of dragons originally believed dead. Not to mention that I've been stuck in some horrible, dirty old manor for the past few days with Harry Potter after being stolen by said dragons from Hogwarts, who isn't really that bad by the way. Also, the dark lord wants to use the dragons to take over the world."

"How thrilling, darling." Narcissa purred enthusiastically, slipping gracefully into her chair and allowing a pair of house elves to push her closer to the table. Holding her hands up, the witch waited for one of the elves to place her napkin on her lap before reaching for her wine glass.

"So, dad is going to take me to a Death Eater meeting where I'll summon the dragons and wait for them to arrive with Harry. And after Harry rescues me, I'm probably going to shag him senseless." Draco finished, watching with an arched brow as his mother drained her glass and set it back down on the table.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie." Narcissa gushed, gesturing for the little elf to refill her wine glass. "If you keep it up, I'm sure Dumbledore will make you Head Boy next year."

Shaking his head, Draco reached for his own wine glass and took a cautious sip. Swirling the liquid thoughtlessly, he looked up as his father strode into the room and took his place at the head of the table. As soon as Lucius Malfoy was seated, house elves began to appear carrying trays loaded with appetizers. Nodding his head politely, the blond accepted a bowl of fruit and continued to watch his father. Clearing his throat, he slid his spoon beneath a strawberry. "Did you contact the Ministry about the Mage Dragons?"

"I did," Lucius drawled; back handing the elf that was attempting to lay his napkin across his lap. Muttering something under his breath, the older blond flicked the white cloth out and rested it upon his knee. "The Minister has agreed to allow the dragons to remain with Potter as long as he maintains control over them at all times. Should the Ministry feel that the dragons are becoming too dangerous, a team of hunters will be sent in to complete the job that was started centuries ago."

Draco ran his tongue over his lips, glaring down at the perfect strawberry sitting upon his spoon. "That isn't acceptable; those dragons are harmless. They're smarter and definitely more tame than those things the Ministry currently allows to roam the countryside." Sitting back, he waved a hand and waited for the practically untouched bowl to be removed. He wrapped his fingers around the stem of his wine glass and pulled it toward him, taking a long drink while waiting for his father to reply.

"I suppose the Mage Dragons will just have to prove their worth to the wizarding world then, won't they?" Lucius stated, sitting back in his chair and focusing his pale eyes on his son.

Narrowing his eyes at his sire's words, Draco thunked his glass down on the table and stood. "I'm not hungry," he announced, pushing his chair back and stalking from the dining room. Ignoring his mother's cheerful goodbye, he stormed up to his bedroom and began to pace its length.